Boko Bakery closing the oven doors for the final time

An Elgin Street institution will be taking its finalbatch of cookies out of the oven this Sunday.

Boko Bakery, located between Somerset and MacLarenstreets, has been serving the community for 36 years butis now slated to close for good.

Jun Sakiyama is part of the second generation of the family-run bakery, and he said they've decided it's just time to move on and do something else.

"We are super excited for the next little bit of our journey together as a family," he told CBCRadio's All In A Day.

A few years ago, Sakiyama, his wife and his brother took on a more direct role in the business from his mother, Yoko, who'd previously been running things.

He said the family hasreceived a lot of support since announcing the closure.

"It has been really great to hear the feedback from customers. Especially for my mom," Sakiyamasaid.

Many memories

Sakiyama said he also has a permanent scar from working in the bakery when he was younger.

His job, he said,involved crackingeggs and cutting peaches for their desserts.

"I got the great idea of throwing them up and slicing them," he said. "I still have this reminder every time I look at my finger."

Long history

YokoSakiyama came to Canada from Japan in the late 1970s and started the business not long after.

She said at first they did their baking in a tiny bachelor apartment, before gradually expanding to the storefront.

Her father was a baker, she said, and he would often visit tohelp the business get up and running. Now that he's 92, shewants to be with him.

"This is my time to do something for my dad," she said.

Construction not a factor

Elgin Street is set to undergo some major reconstruction work, with the street completely closed off for large portions of 2019.

Jun Sakiyama said they're not closing because of that, however.

"It wasn't a factor in our decision making. What was really our main focus was my mom and what she wanted to do with the rest of her life," he said.

"If I was going to reopen, I would want to be [on] Elgin Street."